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Overview
  • Banking & Finance
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  • Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (PPSA)
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Estate Planning & Probate

 
“People often don’t give enough consideration to ensuring their personal affairs are in order, which can ultimately have an adverse impact on their loved ones and their businesses. We are experienced in wills and estate planning, and in helping our clients and their families prepare for the future.”
 
Michael Kohn, Partner and Head of Estate Planning & Probate

 

Services and Expertise

We offer a comprehensive service in all matters relating to estate planning, wills and probate, and associated litigation including maintenance claims under Part IV of the Administration and Probate Act (formerly known as Testator's Family Maintenance claims). When combined with our tax and revenue expertise, we are able to assist families and businesses in planning for the future.

 

Our experience covers preparing wills (including testamentary trusts), testamentary planning, ensuring business succession plans are incorporated into personal estate planning arrangements, powers of attorney, and advising and assisting executors in the administration of an estate.

 

We also advise on disputes in this area, such as Part IV claims, and our clients value our sensitive and considered approach.

Areas of Legal Expertise

Our expertise covers:

  • drafting wills and powers of attorney (financial, medical and guardianship)
  • applications for a grant of probate or letters of administration
  • testamentary planning
  • drafting and advising on testamentary trusts
  • advice as to the distribution of an estate where no will has been made
  • advice and assistance to executors in the administration of the estate
  • superannuation and death benefit nominations
  • making or defending a claim against an estate under Part IV of the Administration and Probate Act.

Additional Services

We provide safe storage of documents, including wills and powers of attorney.

Experience

Some recent matters we have worked on include:

  • acting for a family which owns one of Australia's largest retailers (with both domestic and off-shore business operations) in developing and documenting a business succession structure incorporating the personal estate planning arrangements of two generations of family members
  • advising and acting for members of another prominent, multi generational retail family in connection with their individual business, personal and property owning structures, and the arrangements by which those assets pass to subsequent generations
  • acting for elements of a substantial rural-based family in litigation designed to resolve succession issues.

RELATED INFORMATION

OUR PEOPLE

  • John Hutchings
    Chairman of Partners
  • Michael Kohn
    Partner
  • Peter Window
    Partner
  • John Chamberlin
    Lawyer
  • Amanda Snaddon
    Lawyer
 

SUCCESS STORIES

  • A successful outcome to sensitive mediation
  • A single agreement for a national workforce
 

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